Man’s Tattoo Threatens Cop, Lands Him In Jail

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A Minnesota man is in jail because of a Facebook picture of what police call a threatening tattoo.

Investigators say the tattoo on Antonio Jenkins’ arm is a death threat against a Minneapolis police officer.

“This is the first time I’ve heard of a case like this,” said department spokesman Sgt. Bill Palmer.

Investigators say 20-year-old Jenkins posted a picture of his tattoo on Facebook. It showed a pig with a gun in its mouth, wearing a uniform with a badge number and an officer’s name. The officer it referenced took it as a direct threat against his life.

“You want to put that on your body as a tattoo, you want to post that on a social media site, you’re going to get charged with a felony,” Palmer said.

Arrested and charged with making terroristic threats, police say Jenkins is a known member of the Bloods street gang. Court papers show he admitted to being angry with the officer over an incident that happened last year, but police records show the officer wasn’t involved in that incident. In the same court papers, Jenkins says he knew the tattoo might prompt violence from others.

“If they chose to try to follow through on a threat like this, the Minneapolis Police Department and all law enforcement in the state of Minnesota are going to come down on them,” Palmer said.

He also says while the officer involved isn’t easily frightened, his family is understandably shaken.

“This is the second threat against him in a little over a month, and his family is also concerned,” Palmer said.

He says the other threat against the officer came in late September, when police found his name as part of graffiti inside an apartment complex known to house Bloods gang members.